John La Rose
Born, 1927 in Trinidad. Died, 2006
Horace Ové’s documentary film, Dream to Change the World is a celebration and an exploration of the life of Ové’s fellow Trinidadian John La Rose. La Rose was a writer, an activist, a publisher and a formidable champion of the right of Black people in Britain to live fulfilling lives free from poverty, failure and torment. One of the leading figures of the legendary Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM), La Rose, who was involved in innumerable initiatives from his base at New Beacon Books, a bookshop he established in north London, died in 2006, a couple of years after this film was made. Within the film we hear from the poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, for whom La Rose was an inspiration and a mentor. In many ways, this documentary is not just a look at John La Rose. It is instead a sympathetic and multilayered exploration of the development of, and the challenges faced by, Britain’s Black community as it puts down permanent and intertwined roots. The film gives us insights into the struggles facing Black Britain, as it sought to rise above a host of formidable obstacles.
La Rose contributed Memories of Aubrey Williams to the commemoration/celebration of Aubrey Williams’ life, held at the Commonwealth Institute on 12 June 1990.
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» Aubrey Williams | A Celebration
Announcement relating to an individual, 1990
» The Caribbean Connection
Catalogue relating to an exhibition, 1995